On The Day Logistics: How To Set-Up Your Wedding

Most couples want to put some kind of unique spin on their wedding venue decor. For one couple that might mean asking a florist to make up some centrepieces, for others it's a DIY extravaganza, with everything from personalised name cards to a self-built photobooth. But regardless of whether you're going for minimum effort or maximum impact, you probably have at least a few questions about how to set-up your wedding.

Who sets the tables? When do the centrepieces go out? Can you get into the room the night before? And what do you do with all the stuff the next day? We've got the low-down on all these questions, and more!

1. Talk To Your Venue

Before you start worrying about what time to drop off your bunting, and who will place the cake topper on the cake, have a chat with your venue. Some venue co-ordinators and their teams will look after everything, while others are less hands-on; most are somewhere in-between. Tell your venue about what you have in mind, and go into detail, however basic or bananas you think your ideas might be.

2. Call In The Professionals

You might not think you need to hire a wedding planner simply to hang a few decorations on the day and dress the tables, but there are lots of professionals who specialise in just that.

Wedding stylists, day-of planners and florists can all work on venue set-up and decoration on the day of your wedding. Not only is this service often more affordable than you might think, but the execution will be fast and flawless, you'll have use of the professionals props and set-up tools, and most importantly, you'll have zero stress about the venue set-up on the morning of your wedding. Professionals tend to liaise directly with the venue too, so you don't have to do a thing.

We'd definitely recommend hiring a stylist, or a florist or planner who styles, if you have a tight turn-around with your venue, want to change up the room a lot between the ceremony and reception, or are planning decor that's in any way ambitious. Find out more about the roles of different professionals on your wedding day here.

3. Do a Mock-Up of Your Tables and Take Photos

Whether you're planning to do the venue set-up yourself, or you're handing it over to someone else, try to do a dry run beforehand to see how it's all going to look. This won't be as easy to do without rental props or fresh flowers, but if you have most of the elements together, do your best to set-up a sample table and take photos of how it should look, with shots of the centrepieces or runner and the individual place settings.

One Fab Day co-founder, Naoise suggests putting the decor items in clear plastic boxes - a different one for each table or decor element, with the photo of how you want them to look on the front. This will make setting-up on the day quick and painless!

4. Choose the Right Helpers (And Leave Clear Instructions)

Whether it's your venue or a friend who is helping with the wedding set-up, leave a step-by-step of what's to go where, and as we mentioned, providing photos is definitely advisable!

If you're calling in the troops to help, or handing over the venue set-up entirely to a friend or family member, it's pretty important to choose the right person.

While your creative pal might have a flair for decor, you don't want them to take over and decorate your wedding to their tastes. Alas, we've heard a few horror stories of friends who took it upon themselves to change things up, much to the couple's dismay. The best person to help with decorating is someone who'll follow your instructions by the letter. Ask someone who isn't otherwise involved in the wedding, better still who isn't even a guest, so they're not rushing to make it to the ceremony on time.

6. Leave More Time Than You Think

We cannot stress this enough: however long you might think it will take to set-up your venue and style your wedding, double it, triple it, heck, maybe even quadruple it if you're planning to do it yourself!

Finicky things like hanging festoon lights, blowing up balloons, or tying lots of bows, in particular, can end up taking forever.

When I got married I had grand notions of getting to the venue at 8am for the set-up then heading off at 10am for hair and make-up. Luckily we got into the venue the day before, and due to a problem with the rental tables, setting-up actually took most of the day - and we had lots of helpers! Don't be as naive as I was.

7. Do What You Can In Advance

Do as much prep as you can in advance. Whether it's folding ceremony programs, tying twine on napkins, or sticking tea lights in lanterns, all those little bits take time, so if there's anything you can prep in the days and weeks before the wedding, do it!

8. Have a Next Day Plan

The thought of taking down your wedding decor with a hangover is not something most couples want to contemplate before they've even walked down the aisle. That said, having seen lots of couples a little frazzled in the aftermath, it's good to have a plan of action.

Talk to your venue about what will happen with all your decor and any items left behind after the wedding, where they will be stored, and how long you have to collect them. Some may be quite strict about taking down lights, or collecting the remaining decor, so before you jet off on honeymoon, make sure you've delegated someone to do any remaining collections or dismantling.